A Scorpion in the Spider's Web
by legrimm
Summary: While taking a much needed break with their newest friend Marik, who has chosen to stay in Domino and begin a normal life, their vacation is cut short when a superstar with a mysterious past and dark intentions shows a keen interest in the boy. Now our heroes are in a race against time to save the world once again. This time, from demons older than time itself.
1. Chapter 1

The muffled sound of bass thumped from behind the doors of the night club. People waiting to enter whispered eagerly in anticipation as the throbbing music caused the ground beneath their feet to pulse. Friends were huddled close together for warmth as a light snowfall began. The frost slicked the pavement and flakes clung to the scarves of giggling girls, holding tight to the arms of their dates. Within the queue of the line, a different kind of excitement was building up.

"So this chick performing tonight is Kaiba's girlfriend right?"

"Joey, you'd believe any tabloid wouldn't you? That's obvious gossip. I can't imagine Kaiba having a real relationship with someone who didn't have their face printed on money." Tristan smirked at his little joke.

"Well, he's richer than God. I can imagine lots of girls trying to get his attention." Duke twisted a strand of his raven hair around a fingertip as he leaned his back against the wall.

Tea adjusted the purse on her shoulder and turned to the shorter boy behind her.

"They're always in someone else's business. It's not that big of a deal even if it was true. I mean, right, Yugi?"

"It's his life," was Yugi's only reply.

Tea shrugged and turned back around to face the opening of the club. It was normal these days for Yugi to brood and withdraw from conversation.

_Partner? You seem distracted. Something wrong?_ A smaller presence made itself known to the one with whom he shared his body. _This is a break for us. It's ok to relax now that the Battle City Finals are over.  
_But the Pharaoh only dipped his head in thought.

_I know. I suppose I am just worried about this sudden peace. I am already expecting more trouble to arise as soon as I let my guard down even for a second. _ His eyes snapped back open to survey the people around them.

His other half looked through his eyes. Everybody around them looked happy, excited or a little impatient. Nothing seemed dangerous or threatening. It was a normal scene.

_Pharaoh, maybe the dread you're feeling is just from waiting in line for so long?_ He smiled to reassure his friend. His yami smiled back.

_Just one day off. I'll try to enjoy myself tonight, Yugi._

"Hey, you! Yeah, bouncer! When we gonna get dis party started, eh? We're all freezing out here!" Joey barked.

A gruff voice mumbled back, "Nobody gets in until the bands are set up." Then as an afterthought, he added, "Retard."

The blonde made a face at the man and sniffed,

"Ain't a good enough reason to make us stand out in the cold."  
"I told you that you should have worn a jacket," Duke scolded.

"I didn't want to keep up with it in the club," Joey mumbled.

The sound of a car pulling up pulled their focus off of the weather.

"Is that—" Tristan began.

"Hi, Ishizu!" Tea smiled and waved at the woman getting out of the taxi.  
"Hello, everyone. I hope we have not caught you at a bad time?"

" 'We?' " Joey echoed.

The opposite door of the taxi opened and Marik stepped up on the curb to join his sister.  
"Hi." He said awkwardly. It felt so strange to speak with his own words once again.

The Pharaoh regarded the boy warmly, "Did you come out to say goodbye? Your sister had mentioned to me after that the tournament that you would be going home."

The boy shook his head, tousling his sandy hair.

"Ishizu and I both think I should try living in the city. There aren't many fond memories back home. I'm ready to start living like the rest of the world." His face beamed brightly. He looked so happy standing in the falling snow.

"Besides, I've never seen snow before. I'd like to stay here at least as long as this cold weather does." A snowflake hit the tip of his nose and he rubbed the feeling back with his hand, still grinning.

Ishizu rested a hand on her little brother's shoulder, "I did not want to leave you without once again thanking you for what you have done for us. All of you." Her eyes scanned each of the teens before her before approaching the Pharaoh.

"I am leaving tomorrow morning. Odion is waiting at the hotel. I came out originally to do an errand, but I thought my brother would like to begin his new life in the city tonight with all of you."

"Sounds like a plan. We'd be glad to have him." Duke winked at the older woman in his usual flirtatious fashion.

Yami extended his hand to her and she clasped it in both of hers, "I'll watch out for him Ishizu."

"Thank you again. Well I'll leave you to your evening, friends. Be safe. And good night." With a final wave goodbye, she closed the cab door and was whisked away in a flurry.

"How about coming in with us," Joey offered. He didn't want Marik to go back to Egypt either. That kid was in serious need of some actual fun. "There's gonna be live music tonight. This girl's gotten great reviews for her shows." He jerked his head to a poster on the wall.

"I've never been to a concert. There's so much I haven't done before." Marik suddenly felt very aware of his inexperience with everyday life. But being around people he trusted made him feel brave.

"I'd love to join you." He smiled.

"Awesome," Tea exulted. "Here, you can cut in front of me. Just make sure nobody sees you. It's kind of a pet peeve with concert goers. "

As if on cue, an angry voice from the back of the line shouted,

"Tell that chick no cuts, dammit!"

Joey growled back, "He's a dude, nimrod!"

Upon hearing his gender being confused, Marik immediately blushed and turtled into his new scarf. It was going to be a big change for him.


	2. Chapter 2

On the other side of Domino City, through the white frosted glass of an office window, Seto Kaiba was watching the first snowfall of the year. He felt his ever present bitterness subside as he watched a thin veil of ice coat the city. He was still in sour spirits because of his loss in the Battle City Tournament. A championship he himself had devised and organized. There was a sharp knife of shrewdness in his gut. But he had found other things to take up his time since then.

The paparazzi had taken photos of him with the new up and coming singer and had started a rumor of their less than professional relationship together. In truth, there was something alluring about her devil may care attitude and crass manner of speaking. But their romance was non-existent. Bluntly, it was just a partnership. He invested his money where he saw promise. And she was talented.

He didn't have time for what he assumed she wanted: a relationship. He was married to his business and no amount of flirting would pull him away from his legacy. On more than one occasion she had playfully touched his face or slipped her arm around his waist intimately. He had not even bothered to rebuke her though. They were only business partners. And currently his partner was passed out in his office. She had stumbled in, mumbled a greeting and a 'hey baby,' then pushed two chairs together and curled up in the makeshift bed a few hours prior. He let her rest. Her life outside of their partnership was unknown to him. All he knew about was her concert schedule. He would book her gigs and take a percent cut for himself, make sure she wasn't drunk when she performed and that was it. There was a sudden buzz at his desk telephone and he snapped away from his thoughts at the window and pressed the speaker button.

"What is it?" he asked, in his normal stony manner.

"_Mister Kaiba, there is a Miss Ishtar here to see you."_

Ishizu? What could she possibly want? He no longer had the Egyptian god card she had lent to him before the tournament. He shrugged and pressed the button once again,

"Send her up. This better be important."

A whistling snore reminded him that his little guest was still napping. He covered her dozing form with his coat then pushed the two chairs against the wall with the backs facing out. There. Now unless someone was to look over the backs, no one would know she was there.

A light knocking at the door told him that Ishizu was waiting.

"Come in."

She gracefully entered the office and shut the door behind her. Her body was wrapped up in a dark cloak and she wore boots that tracked in ice onto his carpet, but what caught his attention was her face.

Her red rimmed eyes gave away that she had been crying. Her nose was red too, though it was from a combination of her grief and the bitter Domino cold.

"I am very sorry to bother you again, Seto. But I am in need of your services once more. This task is more important than the last. I'd like to know if I could count on you." Her teeth chattered and her breath still clouded in front of her face in a thin steam. Her shoulders convulsed in a constant shiver. She was more than just cold though, she was frightened.

"What do you need now?" He wasn't about to turn a crying woman away. It would look bad for him if any photographers were still lingering about from earlier when his partner showed up. That was the last thing he needed: rumors of a love triangle.

The dark skinned woman held out her hands. She was clutching a black box.

"Please, Seto. Take it." Her eyes were enormous, magnified by her tears. Her fingers were trembling.

"What-?" he began as he reached for it.

"I cannot entrust this with anyone else. It must be you."

"You're really getting annoying, Ishizu. There's always some task I have to do, or a fate I must prevent because it's my 'destiny.'" He spat out the last word in contempt. Miss Ishtar had been nothing but a bother ever since her exhibit had first come to Domino. Besides, she was a bit too preachy for his liking.

"This is not about your destiny, Kaiba," she replied. "This is for the safety of my family."

She pried the box open with a sudden snap. His curiosity got the better of him and he looked in.

There was a gold ring inside, sitting upon a blood-red velvet cloth. It glinted in the light.

Seto was about to make a joke about Ishizu proposing to him, but her flowing tears cut him off once more.

"This belonged to my mother. It has been in our family for generations. It has been rumored to have….certain properties."

"…What kind of 'properties?' You mean like magical powers?" Kaiba smirked and folded his arms impatiently.

"I know you do not believe fully in the existence of otherworldly beings and dark forces, but even you have seen what befalls those who have become possessed by evil spirits of the shadow realm." His smile faded immediately.

He remembered what had happened during his tournament. Duelists were collapsing after nearly every round. Comatose. It could have been a disaster had they not all woken up after the final round. Kaiba had not truly decided the cause of the illness aboard his blimp. To be honest, he was only too glad that he was able to avoid the bad publicity that could have followed him. Supposedly it had all been the work of the 'darker halves' of Ryou Bakura, one of the dweebs that followed Yugi around, and Marik, Ishizu's brother. He was not sure if he believed in spirits that could control a person's body, but something sinister did happen on board during the finals.

Ishizu once again offered the box to Seto, this time he took it. His fingers traced over the oval gem centered into the gold. A fiery orb of ruby, polished smooth. The ring was plain aside from the stone. A solid band. Ishizu bagan her story at last,

"When a king dies, his servants and belongings are buried with him, so that he may have them in his afterlife, you see. And this, Seto Kaiba, is a king's ring. It was given to him by a powerful priest who dedicated his entire life to serving and protecting that king. He blessed it with holy spells of purity that would drive away evil forces so that good may always triumph and justice would be ever present in their kingdom. No force of evil may stand against the wearer. However, the priest never told anyone how the ring had come to him. It is not Egyptian. In fact, no archaeologist has ever been certain of its true origin.

The ring was given to the family that guarded the tombs: the family Ishtar. It protected my family from the vengeful spirits residing in the pharaoh's tomb in which we dwelled for centuries. Living on the borderlands between this world and the next put my family at risk. There are many portals that allow for certain…beings to cross over. The millennium items control these portals. And I know you are familiar with their powers." She gave him a meaningful look, and he ground his teeth in silence.

"The ring was always given to a woman who married into the Ishtar clan. To ensure her protection in the tombs. When another marriage ceremony was planned, the ring would change owners. My mother—" her voice broke.

"My mother…was the last woman who married into the clan. But it must not stay with us any longer."

"Why not? That cute little bedtime story makes it seem like it's a real treasure to you."

"Kaiba, this ring has been tainted by the bitterness and despair of its owners. Its purity exists no more. Now, it only represents the anger of those condemned to a life among the dead. No woman wanted to marry into a clan that never saw the sun. The unions were all arranged by the brides' families. Sacrificing one of their own to serve as one of the Pharaoh's Tombkeepers would ensure the family's place in Paradise after they died."

"Being forced to live underground was their choice," Seto snorted. "If they wanted a better life they could have just as easily run away and started over somewhere else, right?"

"What makes you believe some didn't try running?" Ishizu's eyes hardened.

"Several of the newly wed women would try to escape after the marriage ceremony. They were tracked down and all found dead in the desert. There was nothing around them to suggest a fate other than they had simply dropped to the ground and passed. The fear of what had happened to them was what kept the Tombkeepers underground."

"Is that supposed to entice me to take this off of your hands?" Seto cracked a smile and plucked the ring from the box.

"Why would a story affect your decision, Kaiba? You do not believe it, do you?"

"Of course not. Just because your family lineage had some messed up belief that living underground would keep them out of hell, or that if they tried running away a mysterious force would kill them…" He paused to chuckle at the morbid image.

"I don't believe any of this. But if you're too superstitious to keep it, I suppose I could take it off your hands for a while." He slipped the ring on his middle finger. The fit was snug, but bearable. He wouldn't admit it, but having a ring that had brought pain and suffering to generations…it gave him a sick pleasure to own.

"There is only one precaution you must head." Ishizu took a deep breath before continuing.

"Please…do not let it fall into my brother's hands. The spirit that possessed Marik tried many times before to steal it from me. I cannot express to you how badly the evil spirit coveted it. I'm not sure why he wanted it. But it can only be assumed that this ring has a secret that even the Tombkeepers do not know of. It may be capable of opening a portal to the shadow realm and allowing the darker side of my brother to consume him once more. But that is only an assumption."

"Well, you know what they say about when you assume something," Seto mused. "But whatever. I'll look after your little heirloom. If anything else it makes me look even richer. Is there anything more you'd like to add? I do have some things planned for this evening."

"No, Seto Kaiba. That was all. And thank you." She bowed her head slightly and turned to leave, then paused.

"I thought I would feel relieved after giving the ring to you."

"Do you?"

"…No." The door closed behind her.


End file.
